Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Snow ❯ Remembering ( Chapter 23 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Serenitychan13 
Souzou reminisces with his late best friend's little brother.
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.10.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.4K | Visits: 210 | Status: Completed
Souzou reminisces with his late best friend's little brother.
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.10.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.4K | Visits: 210 | Status: Completed
It was still bitterly cold for March and around dusk it started to snow. The remaining members of the Sekihoutai, minus Sano and Katsu of course, had tents put up and a fire going. Takashi was helping Hideki practice with his sword. Touya and Kyo were trying to lighten the mood around the little camp. They failed miserably, earning a disgusted look from Yumihiko. Souzou rolled his eyes at his friends' ill-recieved but well-meaning antics. Aki and Kojima were talking a little bit away from everyone else, their expressions grim and their voices hushed. Yumihiko took out a knife and pulled a fairly good-sized stick from the small pile of firewood. Quickly but carefully, he started carving what looked like it would turn out to be a flute.
Souzou was sitting alone on a rock, staring into the fire. At first glance, he looked as if he were deep in thought. However, anyone who looked closely could see the distress in his shining brown eyes. He hadn't said a word in hours and refused to touch any kind of food. It was nastily obvious to those around him that their captain was in a lot of pain, mental and emotional. They didn't blame him, knowing that he was the only one among them, now that Reichi was deceased, who had a wife and a family.
One by one, the members of the Sekihoutai started retiring to their tents. Touya and Kyo started a mock-fight over who was going to get which tent. They quickly cut the comedy as they were met with another disgusted glare from Yumihiko. No one else particularly cared. They were all used to the duo's random bouts of good-natured insanity. Souzou didn't notice anything at all. With the disturbance past, Yumihiko pulled out his knife again and returned to his carving.
Within minutes, the flute was finished. After admiring his work for a brief moment, Yumihiko brought his flute to his lips and began to play. Slowly, the soothing sound of a familiar tune roused Souzou from his nearly catatonic state. This song was one of Midori's favorites and Souzou remembered singing it to Toshio as a lullaby. For a while, he forgot everything but the image of his tiny daughter growing sleepy and nodding off in his arms. Barely aware of his own voice, he began to sing softly.
### Kimi ga namida ni yureru toki ###
Dousureba iin darou
Sora wo miagetemo
Kokoro ga itai
Kizu tsukanakute ii koto ni
Dare mo ga fureteshimau
Mizu no tsumetasa ni
Odoroku toki no you ni
Tonari ni iru dake de
Nanimo dekinai kedo
Arittake no egao kimi dake ni
Kakaete okuruyo donna toki mo
Shinjite ii yo yume wa yattekuru
Kimi no tame dake ni
Naitemo ii yo donna kanashimi mo
Tsubasa ni kawaru no sa sono mune de
### ###
Souzou let his voice trail off on the last word. Yumihiko ceased his music as well, once again sitting in silence. A thin crescent moon caught Souzou's eye and he shifted his gaze from the fire to the moon. As he registered the shift, his eyes found Yumihiko's silent form. In an instant, he snapped fully back to reality with a start.
"Yumihiko!? What the---" he stammered. "How long have you been sitting there!?"
The younger man couldn't look at his brother's best friend. For a long time, he didn't speak. When he did, Souzou was absolutely mortified by his answer.
"As long as you have," he said softly.
Souzou turned bright red. Yumihiko saw this and gave his captain a rare smile. He pulled his flute out to where Souzou could see it. Souzou laughed nervously, one hand on the back of his head.
"So I wasn't just hearing that in my head," he said, his face still slightly flushed. "So I'm assuming you heard me, then?"
Yumihiko nodded, twirling his flute idly in his fingers.
"It was actually quite good," he said quietly. "I never knew you could do that..."
He paused for a second, swallowing hard.
"Did he... Did Reichi know about it?" he asked, his voice so soft it was barely audible.
Souzou thought for a moment and grinned at the memory he came up with.
"Well, I don't think I ever told him," he said slowly, wondering if he would regret saying more. "But I'm pretty sure there was one time he heard me... And I'll be damned if I ever so much as look at sake again..."
Yumihiko raised one eyebrow.
"Uh, how drunk were you?" he asked tentatively. "Because I think he may have mentioned it once..."
Souzou rolled his eyes, sighing and shaking his head.
"Let's just say that having a bad hangover doesn't even begin to cover it," he said, pressing his fingers to his temple to prove his point.
Yumihiko cringed.
"Oh, that," he said. "Yeah, he said something about that..."
Souzou tilted his head at Yumihiko, trying to remember something else.
"I don't think you were with us, were you?" he asked curiously.
Yumihiko shook his head.
"Can I ask why not?" asked Souzou.
"What?!" yelped the younger man. "I was thirteen!"
Souzou laughed out loud at the indignant look on Yumihiko's face.
"Well so were Touya and Kyo and I think they were just as drunk as the rest of us," Souzou pointed out. "But it was probably a good idea that you didn't go..."
"The same goes for you," countered Yumihiko. "You and Reichi were sixteen and it still wasn't a good idea to get so dead drunk that you couldn't remember your own name."
Souzou's eyebrows were in danger of disappearing under his messy black bangs.
"So he was that bad?" he asked, geniunely in awe of his best friend's occasional stupidity.
Yumihiko nodded in the affirmative, shuddering at the memory.
"Damn, I drank more than he did and I still remember that night like it was yesterday!" exclaimed Souzou. "'Course, I did wake up thinking my ears were bleeding because of the pounding in my head. And the headache from the sake was nothing compared to the headache my father gave me..."
Yumihiko shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"You should consider yourself lucky," he said grimly. "When our father got through with Reichi, he rounded on me! Gave me the full lecture about 'Don't you let me catch you drunk or there will be hell to pay.' I don't think Reichi touched another drop of sake until the night before he proposed to Sadako. As far as I know, the alcohol didn't affect him in the least. He was so nervous he spent the rest of the night throwing up. It couldn't possibly have had time to do anything to him..."
Souzou looked up with a jolt as he heard a sound he hadn't heard since the last time he was away with the Sekihoutai. That had been before this whole mess started. Yumihiko was laughing for the first time since his brother's death. His laughter was brief and soon he was silent again, his face bearing an unreadable expression. He looked away into the trees that surrounded them. Souzou could have sworn he saw tears in the younger man's eyes.
Neither of them noticed that they had been talking all night.
Souzou was sitting alone on a rock, staring into the fire. At first glance, he looked as if he were deep in thought. However, anyone who looked closely could see the distress in his shining brown eyes. He hadn't said a word in hours and refused to touch any kind of food. It was nastily obvious to those around him that their captain was in a lot of pain, mental and emotional. They didn't blame him, knowing that he was the only one among them, now that Reichi was deceased, who had a wife and a family.
One by one, the members of the Sekihoutai started retiring to their tents. Touya and Kyo started a mock-fight over who was going to get which tent. They quickly cut the comedy as they were met with another disgusted glare from Yumihiko. No one else particularly cared. They were all used to the duo's random bouts of good-natured insanity. Souzou didn't notice anything at all. With the disturbance past, Yumihiko pulled out his knife again and returned to his carving.
Within minutes, the flute was finished. After admiring his work for a brief moment, Yumihiko brought his flute to his lips and began to play. Slowly, the soothing sound of a familiar tune roused Souzou from his nearly catatonic state. This song was one of Midori's favorites and Souzou remembered singing it to Toshio as a lullaby. For a while, he forgot everything but the image of his tiny daughter growing sleepy and nodding off in his arms. Barely aware of his own voice, he began to sing softly.
### Kimi ga namida ni yureru toki ###
Dousureba iin darou
Sora wo miagetemo
Kokoro ga itai
Kizu tsukanakute ii koto ni
Dare mo ga fureteshimau
Mizu no tsumetasa ni
Odoroku toki no you ni
Tonari ni iru dake de
Nanimo dekinai kedo
Arittake no egao kimi dake ni
Kakaete okuruyo donna toki mo
Shinjite ii yo yume wa yattekuru
Kimi no tame dake ni
Naitemo ii yo donna kanashimi mo
Tsubasa ni kawaru no sa sono mune de
### ###
Souzou let his voice trail off on the last word. Yumihiko ceased his music as well, once again sitting in silence. A thin crescent moon caught Souzou's eye and he shifted his gaze from the fire to the moon. As he registered the shift, his eyes found Yumihiko's silent form. In an instant, he snapped fully back to reality with a start.
"Yumihiko!? What the---" he stammered. "How long have you been sitting there!?"
The younger man couldn't look at his brother's best friend. For a long time, he didn't speak. When he did, Souzou was absolutely mortified by his answer.
"As long as you have," he said softly.
Souzou turned bright red. Yumihiko saw this and gave his captain a rare smile. He pulled his flute out to where Souzou could see it. Souzou laughed nervously, one hand on the back of his head.
"So I wasn't just hearing that in my head," he said, his face still slightly flushed. "So I'm assuming you heard me, then?"
Yumihiko nodded, twirling his flute idly in his fingers.
"It was actually quite good," he said quietly. "I never knew you could do that..."
He paused for a second, swallowing hard.
"Did he... Did Reichi know about it?" he asked, his voice so soft it was barely audible.
Souzou thought for a moment and grinned at the memory he came up with.
"Well, I don't think I ever told him," he said slowly, wondering if he would regret saying more. "But I'm pretty sure there was one time he heard me... And I'll be damned if I ever so much as look at sake again..."
Yumihiko raised one eyebrow.
"Uh, how drunk were you?" he asked tentatively. "Because I think he may have mentioned it once..."
Souzou rolled his eyes, sighing and shaking his head.
"Let's just say that having a bad hangover doesn't even begin to cover it," he said, pressing his fingers to his temple to prove his point.
Yumihiko cringed.
"Oh, that," he said. "Yeah, he said something about that..."
Souzou tilted his head at Yumihiko, trying to remember something else.
"I don't think you were with us, were you?" he asked curiously.
Yumihiko shook his head.
"Can I ask why not?" asked Souzou.
"What?!" yelped the younger man. "I was thirteen!"
Souzou laughed out loud at the indignant look on Yumihiko's face.
"Well so were Touya and Kyo and I think they were just as drunk as the rest of us," Souzou pointed out. "But it was probably a good idea that you didn't go..."
"The same goes for you," countered Yumihiko. "You and Reichi were sixteen and it still wasn't a good idea to get so dead drunk that you couldn't remember your own name."
Souzou's eyebrows were in danger of disappearing under his messy black bangs.
"So he was that bad?" he asked, geniunely in awe of his best friend's occasional stupidity.
Yumihiko nodded in the affirmative, shuddering at the memory.
"Damn, I drank more than he did and I still remember that night like it was yesterday!" exclaimed Souzou. "'Course, I did wake up thinking my ears were bleeding because of the pounding in my head. And the headache from the sake was nothing compared to the headache my father gave me..."
Yumihiko shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"You should consider yourself lucky," he said grimly. "When our father got through with Reichi, he rounded on me! Gave me the full lecture about 'Don't you let me catch you drunk or there will be hell to pay.' I don't think Reichi touched another drop of sake until the night before he proposed to Sadako. As far as I know, the alcohol didn't affect him in the least. He was so nervous he spent the rest of the night throwing up. It couldn't possibly have had time to do anything to him..."
Souzou looked up with a jolt as he heard a sound he hadn't heard since the last time he was away with the Sekihoutai. That had been before this whole mess started. Yumihiko was laughing for the first time since his brother's death. His laughter was brief and soon he was silent again, his face bearing an unreadable expression. He looked away into the trees that surrounded them. Souzou could have sworn he saw tears in the younger man's eyes.
Neither of them noticed that they had been talking all night.